A Jefferson County justice of the peace remained in jail Monday after being arrested on multiple misdemeanor charges over the weekend.
Edward Gene Spears, 53, was being held in the White County jail on charges of failure to appear, second-degree criminal mischief and criminal trespassing.
Court records show Spears had been wanted on a charge of failure to appear since March 15, when he didn't show up in White County District Court to face a charge of passing hot checks. The case is one of two this year in which Spears is accused of passing hot checks, according to White County court records.
Details on the other charges against Spears weren't immediately available.
Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said troopers arrested Spears in Pine Bluff on Saturday. Spears was cited for driving with fictitious tags, and he was arrested when troopers found he had outstanding warrants.
Spears did not attend a Jefferson County Quorum Court meeting Monday night.
"I will wait and let it play out in court before I make any judgments," Justice of the Peace Conley Byrd Jr. said of Spears' arrest. "As I understand it now, he has just been arrested and not convicted. If he is convicted, then obviously that is something we will have to address."
"I hate it for him, I really do," Justice of the Peace Ted Harden said. "He is a friend and colleague, and I hate that things have gone awry for him right now."
Metro on 08/11/2015